Howell Teacher's Union FOIA'd - Reveals Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying and Abuse of Trust.
By chetly, Section News Posted on Mon May 07, 2007 at 02:53:05 PM EST
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Howell School's Teacher's Union Leaders Abuse Taxpayer-Funded Resources in Political Campaigning
Through the Freedom of Information Act, Zarko Research has obtained inside email from Howell School's "Howell Education Assocation" (HEA) union leadership that demonstrate the union leaders conducted a large amount of union business on public time, including trying to retain MEA (Michigan Education Association) affiliated MESSA health-insurance, and using parent-teacher conferences to recruit parents their side of a collective-bargaining debate. Other emails reveal that the union used a survey of union-members "work habits" solely for the public relations purposes to demonstrate their theme of "Putting Kids First" during the ongoing negotiations. Using parents in an ongoing bargaining strategy, and using their time in parent-teacher conferences, is a long-way from putting kids "first." Some might say it is putting them last.
This misuse of resources is a probably a violation of state law, and certainly an ethical abuse of the public trust. Voters in Howell should keep this in mind as they evaluate their upcoming election.
Unfortunately, due to the volume of union communication, the school has only produced a fraction of the available e-mails. ZR will update as it receives more information.
Here's a sampling of the e-mails.
Using parent-teacher conferences to illegally lobby (read from bottom up, the attached flier explicitly mentioned the name of the lobbying group, "Putting Kids First," advocated attending the March 12 school board meeting, and advocated speaking on behalf the teachers. It's too long to include here). The message exchange also suggests illegal copying using school resources, although it isn't quite as clear:
From: Hughey, Jeff
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:59 PM
To: Forbes, Lindsey; Norton, Doug
Cc: McDowell, Johnson
Subject: RE: fliers
I can make copies after school, I just need one to do this.
From: Forbes, Lindsey
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 PM
To: Norton, Doug
Cc: Hughey, Jeff; McDowell, Johnson
Subject: RE: fliers
right--I am booked too. I will need help on this one...
From: Norton, Doug
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:39 PM
To: Forbes, Lindsey
Cc: Hughey, Jeff; McDowell, Johnson
Subject: fliers That 9th grade parent thing is tonight. It appears we could get volunteers if we had copies. I am already booked though
Another really bad idea - communicating with parents using school "Homeroom" teachers and the access they would have to student home addresses. While HEA teachers would pay for posting, this is an extreme misuse of private information teachers have access to through their jobs, and a misuse of their trust relationship with those parents:
From: Bessert, Dianne [mailto:BESSERTD@howellschools.com]
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 8:18 AM
To: Autrey, Lynette; Cameron, Barbara; Bessert, Dianne; Elliott, Carol; Forbes, Lindsey; Hughey, Jeff; Langer, Karen; McDowell, Johnson; Norton, Doug; Tatman, Dallas
Subject:
Paul Groth gave me this suggestion this morning, it's something to think about.
Develope [sic] an HEA web site for the public to go to see our side of the story.
Print postcards with the web site address and a message to the parents.
Have each homeroom teacher address a post card to each student on their homeroom list and pick up the cost of the postage.
In this exchange, we learn that a "teacher survey" recently commission on the "work habits" of teachers was solely for "PR purposes only", despite another teacher's recommendation that union membership be polled for their "real" bargaining position opinions (a laudable idea).
Langer, Karen to a wide universe
March 15, 2007
it is clear people need to understand that we are not at the surveying stage of bargaining. Lindsey's survey is for PR purposes only.
From: Forbes, Lindsey
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 12:39 PM
To: Forbes, Lindsey; Hughey, Jeff; Langer, Karen; McDowell, Johnson; Norton, Doug; Zents, Kathy; Autrey, Lynette; Bessert, Dianne; Cameron, Barb; Elliott, Carol; Tatman, Dallas
Subject: FW:
Who is this?
From: Eggleston, David
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 12:36 PM
To: Forbes, Lindsey
Subject: RE:
Lindsey,
Thanks for surveying the members. I think it critical that the representatives know our opinions on the issues being negotiated.
However this survey appears to be a method of gathering data to show how hard teachers work. I believe that you have missed an opportunity to survey the members on their individual positions on health care,
salary increases, and other benefits. What do the members think about the districts latest proposal? What are the members willing to trade for health care or other benefits. You will not get a true understanding of the silent majority if you depend on e-mails or the few people who speak at group meetings. I respectfully urge you to conduct a private survey of all 485 teachrs to get a true gauge of your memberships positions on the bargaining issues.
Dave Eggleston
From: Forbes, Lindsey
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 12:02 PM
Subject:
Importance: High
HEA Members,
Thank you for your continued dedication to the students of Howell Public Schools. Howell teachers should take PRIDE in our efforts to put kids first despite the district's decision not to recognize these efforts with a fair contract. In an attempt to help quantify the level of commitment demonstrated by the HPS teaching community, the HEA invites you to visit the link below and complete the attached survey. It is our hope that we may use this data in our efforts to better inform both the community and the school board regarding the seriousness and sincerity with which we continue to "Put Kids First."
